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Résumé Writing Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms Looking to Return to Work

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Perhaps one of the most common questions
for moms who are considering staying at home for a few years to raise
their children is: “If I stay home, how will I explain the gaps in
employment on my CV when I do decide to return to work?”

There are actually quite a few answers to this question. For many
jobs, an explanation in a cover letter will be sufficient. For other
jobs, a more detailed explanation in one’s CV, along with a strong cover
letter, may prove necessary.

This article offers some advice on how to effectively create a
stay-at-home mom CV that will showcase your skills and experience,
rather than the number of years’ experience that you have.

Choose a skills-based CV (also called a functional CV)
rather than a chronological-order CV. A skills-based CV does not
emphasize dates and works best if you have gaps in your work history.
You can find free templates and examples of skills-based résumés on our site.

Put emphasis on transferring skills from the earlier part of your
career. You can do this by having a section at the top of your CV called
“Objective” that states your years of experience and what you are
hoping to aim for. For example, “With 10 years experience in marketing, I’m looking for a job in…”. You can also call this section “Career summary” in which you’ll highlight your strongest points. For example, “Experienced
in working in a fast-paced environment, strong interpersonal,
organizational and technical skills. Detail-oriented, highly
trustworthy, ethical and resourceful in completing projects and tasks.”

Summarize your skills and tasks from your past work experiences and
experiences as a stay-at-home mom, without a chronological job history.
Organize these experiences into skill categories that correspond to the
job for which you are applying. Start with the most important skills
first (determine the ones that best match the job description). For each
skill you state, provide one or two examples of achievements that
enabled you to develop that skill. Use strong action verbs.
Also highlight any major duties/responsibilities gained from
extracurricular involvement (for example, if you carried out any
volunteer or charity work during that time, or if you participated in a
school association, etc..).

List your education and training.

Lastly, provide a brief Work History section with positions held, employment dates and company names.

It is also important to emphasize that you’ve stayed current in your
field. For example, keeping computer skills up to date, staying on top
of specific industry changes and news.

It is perfectly acceptable to explain during the interview that you
have stayed home to raise your family because you had the financial
means to do it and it was important to you. You can add that you have
now reached a point in your life where you can give your employer your
full attention and work on your career. You may even find that some
employers are relieved to learn that you will no longer be away on
maternity leave, so this can actually play in your favour!

Do you have any experiences you’d like to share about returning to
work and the difficulties you faced while writing a résumé and going
through the interview process? If so, we’d love to hear about them in
the comment section below.

About the author

With diplomas in both technical writing and communication, Savannah has
been working as a technical writer and translator for 15 years. Born in
France and raised in the UK and the US, she has been living in France
for many years and thus is perfectly fluent in both French and English.